ABC's Activities at the 2007 Annual Conference in Cleveland, Ohio

Delegates at the 2007 Annual Conference addressed two items of business of particular concern for the Association of Brethren Caregivers. The delegates accepted the recommendation of the Annual Conference Review and Evaluation Committee that the Church of the Brethren General Board and the Association of Brethren Caregivers form a unified program board. The report also encouraged On Earth Peace to consider joining them. ABC's Executive Director Kathy Reid spoke from the floor amendments to the paper. An implementation committee will decide next steps. The committee is made up of the executives of ABC, General Board, On Earth Peace and Annual Conference, and elected members of Gary Crim, John Neff and David Sollenberger.


(Photo courtesy of the General Board, photo by Ken Wenger.)

In the second item, delegates approved a Child Abuse Prevention query by forwarding it to the Associaton of Brethren Caregivers, which has a Family Life Ministry.

In other business, delegates elected J. Colleen Michael of Wenatchee, Wash., to the ABC Board and confirmed board appointments of Marilyn Bussey of Roanoke, Va., Wayne Scott of Harrisburg, Pa., and Jim Tiffin of Sebring, Fla.

The ABC Recognition Dinner, which honored Caregiving Award recipients and featured keynote speaker Deforia Lane. Lane, director of the Ireland Cancer Center as well as director of Music Therapy at University Hospitals of Cleveland, described how music therapy effects patients, families and hospital staff during treatment.

Award recipients for 2007 were Attorney and Disabilities Advocate Jefferson Crosby, Pschologist John Wenger and the late Tim Hissong, formerly president/CEO of The Brethren Retirement Community. The Lititz (Pa.) Church of the Brethren received the Open Roof Award. Click here for more information about the award recipients.

Denominational Deacon Luncheon for deacon/caregivers to meet others in similar roles from across the denomination and hear Kurt Borgmann's presentation, titled "Can You Do One Thing?" An audio recording of Borgmann's presentation will be available for downloading soon.

Several insight sessions were sponsored by ABC. For the first time each of ABC's insight sessions offered .1 CEUs for pastors at no charge.

As in the past, ABC also sponsored several networking meetings and mutual help groups over a range of topics, such as grief, chronic illness and Asperger's.

Within ABC's exhibit area attendees could sign up for five-minute seated massage and attend a 10-minute stretching session during the afternoons from Sunday through Tuesday. Also at the booth were several ABC activities for the "Passport to Wellness."

(Blood pressure photo courtesy of the General Board, photo by Glenn Riegel.)

When participants received eight stamps in their passport, they could receive a Passport to Wellness T-shirt. The T-shirts offered a grid for the "300-Day Challenge" to encourage Church of the Brethren members to work toward wellness for the 300-days leading up to the next Annual Conference in Richmond, Va., which marks the 300th Anniversary of the Church of the Brethren.

(Photo courtesy of the General Board, photo by Ken Wenger.)

New DVD Presentation Available
During ABC's report on Monday afternoon, delegates saw a video, titled "What Does the Association of Brethren Caregivers Do?" This four-minute presentation is included on the 2007 Annual Conference Wrap-up DVD as an easily accessible tool for congregations to inform members about the ministries of the Association of Brethren Caregivers.

Delegates also learned about the upcoming Caring Ministries Assembly, a conference around the theme "Being Family: Reality and Renewal."